Don’t Miss Out

Featuring: Maritime Lighthouse Tower Project

For four decades, the Door County Maritime Museum has educated and entertained the public while working hard to preserve rich maritime history. Now, the museum is ready to take a major leap forward with an exciting new initiative: expanding its Sturgeon Bay facility with a spectacular, 11-story Maritime Lighthouse Tower filled with state-of-the-art exhibits for all ages.

Featuring: Steve Reinke Photography Exhibit

On January 13, 2018, the Door County Maritime Museum will open a temporary exhibit featuring maritime photography from Steve Reinke. Reinke passed away in January 2017 after years of dedicated service photographing Door County’s maritime scenes.

Featuring: Maritime Speaker Series

The Maritime Speaker Series offers an assortment of monthly programs dealing with everything from historical topics to current issues affecting the Great Lakes and the economy that relies on it. The programs are held the first Thursday of each month November through March.

Located along Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin’s busy working waterfront, the Door County Maritime Museum showcases the area’s rich maritime roots. Hard-working fishermen, brave ship captains, skilled craftsmen, bold inventors and lonely lighthouse keepers are just some of the personalities you’ll discover in the galleries of the museum.

See how these maritime pioneers worked and what they made, and you’ll understand and appreciate your visit to Door County on a deeper, more engaged level.

In December 1956, Roen Steamship Company of Sturgeon Bay purchased the John Purves and put her to work on all five Great Lakes taking on towing and salvage jobs. The Purves was well known throughout the Great Lakes for her strength and towing capabilities. In fact, due to her might, she made a good living after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, rescuing many a saltwater vessel that ran aground in the tricky channels of the Great Lakes.